May the 4th be with you.

It’s the unofficial worldwide celebration day of everything Star Wars.

And we’re taking a look at the brilliance of the films’ soundtrack.

John Williams composed the Star Wars saga films. He’s a powerhouse in the music industry, with a career spanning more than six decades.

Most of us grew up humming his film scores, which are some of the most recognisable scores in cinematic history from films including Indiana Jones, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Home Alone, and Schindler’s List.

Williams’ scores for the Star Wars films are among the most widely known contributions to modern film music. The films are often heralded as reviving grand symphonic scores in the 70s. In particular, Williams revived a ‘mental anchoring’ technique called leitmotif, where certain melodies signify particular characters, places, moods or ideas.

One of the reasons why the films’ music is so legendary is because it’s diagetic: it occurs as part of the action, rather than as a background accompaniment, thereby enriching the story instead of simply complementing it.

In 2009 and 2010, a series of concerts called ‘Star Wars: In Concert’ took place in London, USA, and Canada.

Tributes to the music of Star Wars are wide and varied. Blink-182 wrote and recorded ‘A New Hope’ in 1997, based on the first film’s premise of Luke dreaming of Leia. Jamiroquai’s 1996 hit ‘Use the Force’ gave a nod to the films’ entire storyline. ‘All N My Grill’ by Missy Elliott in 1999 made mention of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Justin Bieber sang about “Luke with the force” in his 2010 song ‘Never Say Never’, and Red Hot Chili Peppers made reference to Alderaan in their 1999 song ‘Californication’.

This May the fourth, don’t fight it. Let it guide you; be one with it.